Fruit-packer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W; 4. T-RESCOTT.

' FRUIT PAGKEE.

No. 444,260. I Patented Jan. 6,1891.

w all WITNESSES: INVENTOI? lhvi'rnn STATES...

WILLIS A. TRnsco'rr, or FAIRPORT, NEW YORK.

FRUIT-PACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 444,260, dated January 6, 1891.

Application filed June 19,1890- Serial No. 355,995. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, \VILLIS A. TRESCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Packers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to presses and particularly to that kind used for packing dried fruits, &c., in barrels or the like.

The object of the invention is to produce a simple device, whereby a plunger may be forced into a barrel by alever easily operated and so connected with a plunger that a stepby-step movement may be imparted to the plunger, the plunger automatically locked in any position to which it may be moved and by which the plunger may be released and allowed to raise by simply lifting the lever out of the position occupied while in use. I

With this object in View the invention resides essentially in a press coinprisinga plunger having on one side a rack-bar, a pinion engaging the rack-bar, a pawl joined at one end to a pivoted lever and engaging the pinion of a part connected therewith, and a retaining-pawl engaging the pinion and pro-' vided with a rear extension to be struck by the operating-lever when raised out of operative position to release the pawl from the pinion; furthermore, the invention resides in various novel details of construction whereby the objects of the invention are accomplished.

I have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a press constructed in accordance with my invention, showing a barrel for containing the substance to be packed arranged in proper position for the operation of the press. Fig. 2 is a sectional View showing a cog-wheel designed to be secured to a pinion engaging the rack-bar, the operating-pawl connected with the operating-lever, and showing in dotted lines the pawl for retaining the pinion in any desired position. Fig. 3 is a sectionalview, the section being taken to show in full lines the operating-pawl, the retainin g-pawl, and the form of the operating-lever whereby motion is imparted to the pawls through the pinion. Fig. at is a plan view of the pawl operating and retaining device; and Fig. 5 is a side view-of the pawl-operating device, the view being taken from a point opposite that from which Fig. 1 is taken.

7 In the drawings, A represents a frame of suitable size and strength to retain in position a plunger, and means for imparting longitudinal motion thereto. Upon the upper beam Ct of this frame is mounted a box or casing B, at one end of which is pivoted an operating-lever G. \Vithin the casing B are mounted a pinion b and a cog-wheel (2*, these two wheels being fast to the same shaft and turning together.

D represents a plunger provided for nearly its entire length with a rack-bar d, the plunger being arranged to slide up and down through an opening in the shaft and provided at its lower end with a foot or widened portion d designed to be pressed upon the substance to be packed in the barrel, box, or the like.

Pivoted to a downward extension 0 of the lever O is a pawl 0 the free end of which bears against the cog-wheel b engaging the teeth thereof, so that by an up-and-down movement of the lever rotary movement is imparted to the cog-wheel, and consequently to the pinion b, which is fast on the same shaft. In order to retain the cog-wheel in any position in which it may be turned by the lever and its pawl, a retaining-pawl c is pivoted adjacent to the pawl 0 The forward end of this pawlthat engaging the pinionbeing heavier than its rear end, will drop over the teeth of the pawl as it is turned and engage the same, preventing backward turning of the pinion while the pawl is in its normal position.

The front end of the operating-lever C is provided with an extension 0 which when the lever is thrown forward out of operative position engages the rear portion of the pawl c and raises it from contact with the pinion, allowing the same to be turned, as, for instance, by the crank 0 connected with the shaft upon which the pinion is mounted, to

raise or lower the plunger independently of the pawl-and-lever operating device.

As a convenient means of preventing the movement of the operating-lever too far forward when moved to raise both the retaining and the operating pawls from engagement with the pinion and cogged wheel, I provide the pawl c with an extension 0, which extends over the bars upon the upper face of the frame I), and as this frame Z1 is provided near the point at which the operating-lever is pivoted with a raised portion 1) the projection will come in contact with this and prevent further rear movement of the parts, the rounded portions 0 of the lever in this position resting upon the top of the operatingpawl.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that by my peculiar arrangement of parts a great pressure may be brought upon an article placed beneath the plunger by a simple up-and-down movement of the operating-lever, which may be of a length tofurnish any desired amount of leverage, requiring a very small expenditure of power at its outer and imposing great strain at its inner end, and also that by simply raising and lowering and moving it forward after pressure, the operating and retaining pawls will easily move from contact with the pinion and cogwheel, allowing manipulation of the plunger by hand to raise and lower it at will.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to seeure'by Letters Patent, is-

1. A press of thekind described, consisting of a plunger provided with a rack-bar, an op crating-lever having pivoted thereto a pawl engaging the pinion, and a retaining-pawl having a rear extension to be struck by the operating-lever, substantially as described.

2. In a press of the kind described, aplunger provided with a rack-bar, a pinion engaging the rack-bar, an operating-lever having a pawl pivoted thereto and engaging the pinion, a frame for holding the lever having raised portions, and an extension from the operating-pawl resting on the frame and engaging the raised portions on the frame, substantially as described.

3. In a press of the kind described, aplunger provided with a rack-bar, a pinion arranged contiguous to the rack-bar and engaging the same, an operating-lever having an opcrating-pawl pivoted thereto and provided with an extension, and a retaining-pawl engaging the pinion and provided with a rear projection engaging the extension from the lever, substantially as described.

4. In a press of the kind described, a plunger provided with a rack-bar, a pinion engaging the rack-bar, an operating-lever having a pawl pivoted thereto and provided with an extension, a casing in which the lever is mounted provided with a raised portion, an extension from the pawl engaging the raised portion of the frame, and a retaining-pawl provided with a rear extension engaging the projection from the operating-lever, substantially as described.

5. In a press of the kind described, a plunger provided with a rack-bar, a pinion engaging the raek-bar, an operating-lever having apawl pivoted thereto and provided with an extension, a casing in which the lever is mounted provided with a raised portion, an extension from the pawl engaging the raised portion of the frame, a retaining-pawl provided with a rearextension engaging the projection from the operating-lever, an dacrank or handle on the shaft of the pinion, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS A. 'lRESC/OFl.

Witnesses:

A. W. PALMER, James D. llICCARTNEY. 

